"That bridge is a key, like I say, not only for Cincinnati, not only for Ohio, but for the country," he said Thursday.

Near the Brent Spence next Wednesday, he and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear will put their gubernatorial signatures to a plan they say will spell out how to pay for a new bridge.

It's expected to spell T-O-L-L.

But Kasich said any tolls on the bridge won't be fattening either state's coffers.

"The tolling will only be for purposes of building that bridge. It will not be done for the purposes of taking money and putting it in a kitty somewhere and spending it," Kasich said. "If there is any tolling, which there probably will be, it will only be used to build that bridge and then it will be, it will go away."

Despite that new pledge, tolls still have critics. And the sell to some northern Kentucky lawmakers is likely to be a tough one.

Kasich, in town to celebrate an expansion of PayCor's operations, said the estimated $2.5 billion bridge is one of his top priorities.